sept 12 // nathan guidry + trent lawson

Two words to get you excited about this month's opening. Velvet. Paintings. That's right, this friday we are featuring Oklahoma's most notoriously kitsch painter, Trent Lawson, alongside some incredible pen and ink cut out illustrations by emerging artist Nathan Guidry. RSVP to the Facebook Event here.

Nathan creates mythological creatures that he feels would be found in Oklahoma. A scissortail griffon or a fox dragon are among the imagined beings rendered in pen and ink on illustration board and cut out to give the illusion that the creature is actually in the room with your and not just a piece of art hanging on the wall.

Trent is a well known figure in the arts community, from his extensive volunteer work with OVAC and the arts festival to his job at the OKCMOA, he is inspired by both his surroundings and 80's childhood nostalgia. When asked how he would best describe his work, he calls it "Humorous pop-culture inspired velvet paintings sprinkled with art history."

Artist Questions

Nathan Guidry

What is your medium/process?
Pen/ink and colored pencil on paper board. I cut out the drawings and hang them with wire.

Where are you from?
I was born and still live in Enid, Oklahoma.

How would you describe your latest body of work?
All of my latest pieces are mythological animals that you could find in Oklahoma. I use a combination of techniques such as stippling cross hatch in each piece. The marks maintain a natural look throughout. I also have cut out every animal to bring them into the real world even more. I have attempted to create the illusion that this animal could be grabbed or pet. Each of my latest pieces have a real presence about them. They aren't apart of a drawing on a wall, they are in the room.

What inspires you?
Animals, bugs, epic stories of courage and pride.

How did you get started?
I have been drawing since I was very young. Maybe 6. I had a natural knack for it and I just kept with it.

What are your goals for the future?
I just want to show my art to as many people as possible and make as much art as I can before I die. aaaaaand maybe be known the world over as one of the great artists of our time.

Trent Lawson

What is your medium/process?
I paint acrylics on velvet. My method generally starts from a digital sketch, this allows me to adjust scale and work out some of the kinks before getting to the velvet, which is a very unforgiving medium. I will then print my sketch actual size and use it as a stencil to block in the elements. The rest is patience and some tiny brushes!

Where are you from?
My formative years were split between south side OKC and Pauls Valley, OK.

How would you describe your latest body of work?
Humorous pop-culture inspired velvet paintings sprinkled with art history.

What inspires you?
Everything inspires one way or another, it's not always noticeable but it seeps in. I'm a product of the 80s, so my childhood, conversations with friends, the local arts community and working at the OKC Museum of Art, and all the badass people out there doing badass things.

How did you get started?
I've always been drawing, from Ninja Turtles as a kid to Ninja Turtles today. Time is a flat circle. What helped get me connected to the movers and shakers of the art community was volunteering. I'd recommend that to anyone wanting to get connected.

What are your goals for the future?
I'm not good with goals, but I'm going to be making an effort to show my work more outside of the state.